A Hillsborough County firefighter and active member of the Outlaw motorcycle gang has been identified as one of the assailants in a bar room brawl that occurred during the annual Poker Run in Key West in September.

Clinton Neal Walker, 33, was captured on surveillance video at Rumors Lounge on September 27th punching a man repeatedly in the face. Law enforcement agencies had been forewarned that members of the Outlaw motorcycle gang would be coming to Key West during the Poker Run and would be instigating fights aimed at reaffirming their claim over Key West turf.

The bar owner, John Mafera Jr, told The Blue Paper at the time that several members of the Outlaw gang had walked into the bar at around 3:20 am and immediately began provoking him. He said he was ordered by one of them to remove a black woman who had just entered the bar and was also told to “change the music.”

Surveillance video recorded during the incident showed several people wearing the Outlaws gang insignia punching Mafera and the bar’s security staff and bartenders. Questions arose at the time as to why just one lone police officer responded initially since local law enforcement agencies had apparently received very detailed intelligence about what the Outlaws were planning for “Bike Week” in Key West. The responding officer that night could only tell the Outlaws, who he saw cramming into a taxi and ready to leave, to stay put. As the officer went inside the Rumor Lounge the men exited the taxi and ran away.

Amid concern over uncontrollable criminal elements involved in the Poker Run, the Sunrise Rotary Club of Key West recently decided to withdraw its sponsorship of the event.

Detectives were later able to identify Walker through the surveillance recording and witness identification. KWPD Detectives contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and confirmed Walker’s identity. A warrant for Walker’s arrest has been issued for the charge of battery.

Previous Arrest

When police in St. Petersburg tried to arrest Walker for his part in another bar room fight, this time in a lounge in that area, he allegedly resisted with violence and officers used a taser to subdue him.

A witness had told police that he saw Walker hit a man. The victim, a bar patron, had been knocked unconscious. He was later hospitalized with a cracked skull and bleeding on the brain, according to a police report.

Walker, who is a resident of Bradenton, was arrested on May 7 and was additionally charged with felony battery on a law enforcement officer. In video showing the arrest, he can be seen falling to the floor after being stunned with a Taser by police. After hitting the ground, Walker is seen being kicked in the groin by an officer.

Walker is now suing the St. Petersburg Police Department over the incident. In an interview with WFTS television news in Tampa Bay, Walker said he is proud of his Outlaws membership and disagrees with the federal government labeling them criminals.

Here is our initial coverage of this incident showing the surveillance camera footage from the Rumor Lounge on Greene Street which was helpful in identifying Walker.

Arnaud and Naja Girard, owners and editors of the new, digital, Key West the Newspaper (The Blue Paper) previously reported for the former Key West The Newspaper, Key West’s longest running independent weekly, published by Dennis Reeves Cooper, Ph.D., from January 1994 until November 2012. The Girards are perhaps best known for their discovery of and extensive research surrounding the US Navy’s 1951 claim of ownership of Wisteria Island but are also responsible for top investigative stories including breaking news coverage of the highly controversial in-custody-death of Charles Eimers on Thanksgiving Day 2013, the catastrophic police tasing of Matthew Shawn Murphy, and the property tax scandal involving Balfour Beatty to name a few. Arnaud and Naja have lived in Key West since 1986.

My brother, a lifelong Outlaw (it’s like the Mafia) told me years ago that Key West was “neutral ground” for the gangs , like the ND and Daytona venues. The reason is, exactly what’s happening here–they lose it all if they fight there.

I am estranged from him some 20 years, duh, so maybe the gangs have gotten dumber. Or–it was someone acting on his own. As a real or fake outlaw, he should be in major trouble with the gang, because they have blown it big time.

I mean, they were beating up a bar owner, not Pagans. That is so NOT real Outlaws. These jerks likely were posers.

From a tourist view we will be staying away from that week or any other events that will have biker groups or gangs. Not because we dislike bikers or enjoy seeing dressed up bikes but simply because of the way the KWPD handled this even with having advanced warning. Up to the city as to what events they allow. This is all about safety and what is tolerated. Yes , some will not go to Fantasy Fest because of the degree of nudity. At the same time it is the main reason we attend. But even with the huge crowd we always enjoy. Have suggested to many to stay away from FF because they are the type that will be upset seeing men in pink tu tu or even worse. As nudists we love it. Fact is many go just because this is allowed.

Would think now is the time to have a meeting to either stop the event or demand an explanation from Lee as to why this went down the way it did. Are his officers scared to take on such a group ? And I do not blame him one bit to not take on a group where they are out numbered by more than 10 to one. Would we been happy to hear 3 cops killed ? I for one do not wish to see anything like that ever happen. It would have a negative view on all events. It is time Cates needs to make a statement about the future biker events.